Volume 17 Issue 4, April 2018

A theoretical framework for the design of so-called perturbative metamaterials, based on weakly interacting unit cells, has led to the experimental demonstration of a quadrupole topological insulator.

Engineering channels for ion transport in a SiGe solid-state electrolyte layer allows one to significantly decrease the spatial and temporal variations of the electrical characteristics in resistive switching memories.

Local controlled deposition of graphene on a moving polycrystalline substrate, in the presence of a fast-flowing buffer gas, allows the evolutionary selection of the fastest-growing crystallites, forming macroscopic graphene monocrystals.

Ultrahigh piezoelectricity in relaxor-ferroelectric ceramics is engineered by chemical and structural heterogeneities at the nanoscale.

A combination of hard, soft and nanoscale organic components results in robust superhydrophobic surfaces that can withstand mechanical abrasion and chemical oxidation, and exhibit excellent substrate adhesion.

Catalysts for CO₂ photo- or electroreduction must balance activity, selectivity and efficiency. Here, the authors discuss the use of metal–organic frameworks for these processes and the role reticular chemistry may play in designing new catalysts.

Generation, transport and detection of spin-wave quanta in vanadium tetracyanoethylene, an organic ferrimagnet with low Gilbert damping, are reported.

A systematic investigation of the spin relaxation in nitrogen vacancy centres in diamonds, induced by phononic vacuum modes at low temperature, reveals an upper limit of eight hours.

Foot-long continuous single-crystal-like monolayer graphene films were fabricated on polycrystalline substrates by evolutionary selection growth, which resembles the Czochralski process in 2D geometry.

A perturbative method is proposed for the systematic design of mechanical metamaterials, where each element of the discrete model is associated with individual geometric features of the metamaterial, through the weak interaction between the unit cells.

It is shown that Ohmic contacts for the injection of hole carriers into organic semiconductors with high ionization energy can be formed by adding ultrathin interlayers with higher ionization energy.

Controlled widening of threading dislocations in SiGe layers epitaxially grown on Si allows the realization of resistive switching devices with enhanced uniformity, high on/off ratio and long retention times.

TiO₂ and other metal oxides were interfaced with molecular boron clusters to form a hybrid material. This modifies the electrochemical and photocatalytic properties, enabling fast electron transfer and dye degradation under red light.

Simulations were used to investigate the effects of local structural heterogeneity on piezoelectricity in ceramics. From this, a Sm-doped PMN–PT composition was designed with an extremely high piezoelectric coefficient for polycrystalline systems.

Coatings made of flexible, organic layered nanocomposites achieve high water repellence under harsh mechanical and chemical environments.

Molecular simulations reveal the self-assembly of small molecules into nanoparticle drug carriers. Targeting of colon and liver cancer cells by the nanoparticles via kinase inhibitors is employed in anti-tumour therapy in vivo.